Harness racing
The Russian Trotter traces its beginnings back to the end of the nineteenth century, to the dramatic success of the American Standardbred on Russia's harness tracks. Until that time the Orlov Trotter, Russia's most famous native breed, was generally acknowledged to be the fastest harness horse in all of Europe, even in competition against American-bred horses. An added virtue of the Russian breed, as opposed to the American horse, the Orlov Trotter had a distinguished reputation as a stylish carriage horse and was therefore greatly valued even after its racing days were the breakup of the Soviet Union, newly wealthy private citizens have been able to purchase horses from abroad. Just as was the case in Russia a century earlier, the current demand for the American Standardbred horse is linked to the prestige and financial incentives of winning races; there is no other market for the Russian Trotter. Most Russian breeding specialists concur that the surest way to improve speed on Russia's harness tracks is to continue the trend toward the "Americanization" of the Russian Trotter. The exclusive pursuit of speed places in jeopardy the gene pool and breed traits of the Russian Trotter.
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Photo credit: © Mikhail Kondrashov "fotomik" / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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